Fletcher-class destroyer
The Fletcher class destroyer came about in 1939 when the US Navy sought to create a superior new design addressing poor aspects found in previous destroyers. What they got was a destroyer design that was effective enough to provide excellent service in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam Wars. In fact, they served until 1971 in the United States and in the Mexican Navy until 2001. A service life of nearly 60 years, most definitely a ship where the US made the money back that they put in. Description The Fletcher class (named for Admiral Frank F. Fletcher) was the largest class of destroyer ordered, and was also one of the most successful and popular with the destroyer men themselves. Compared to earlier classes built for the Navy, they carried a significant increase in anti-aircraft weapons and other weaponry, which caused displacements to rise. Their flush deck construction added structural strength, although it did make them rather cramped, as less space was available below decks compared with a raised forecastle. Design The Fletcher class was built to correct earlier problems in US destroyers. One of the biggest problems was weight and displacement issues. The rapid advance in naval technology was surpassing the number of destroyer designs built to accommodate it. For earlier destroyer designs, the US had attempted to make ships near on a 1500 ton limit. However, it was seen that this weight was a major limit on performance, especially range. The United States needed a class of destroyers with a potent assortment of weapons, high speed, and a long enough range to operate in the vast Pacific Ocean. Attempts to modify previous destroyers resulted in problems with overall weight and top heaviness. So the Fletcher Class was designed to be larger, with a standard displacement of roughly 2000 tons. This larger displacement made the Fletcher vessels much less top heavy, allowing them to be modified very easily over the course of their service life. Stability was also increased by expanding the beam by 18". A notable feature was their flush deck construction that provided the ships excellent structural strength and durability at the cost of a cramped vessel with poorer sea keeping compared to European Vessels. Armament When designing the Fletcher Class, questionnaires were distributed to the office of Chief Naval Intelligence as well as other design bureaus. They were asked on what would be the most desirable weapons to be carried on a modern destroyer as well as other features. The results specified: x5 5" Guns x12 Torpedoes x28 Depth Charges In addition, a speed of 35 to 38 knots was called for. With the launching of the USS Fletcher (DD-445) in May 1942, the US Navy gained a destroyer capable of nearly 37 knots while carrying five 5"/38 guns and 10 torpedoes in two quintuple mounts, an Armament that rivaled just about anything destroyer on the ocean. Early Fletcher Class destroyers were not packing much heat in the anti-air category. They were generally armed with four 1.1"/75 guns. While not poor weapons, they were not spectacular either. Over the course of the Second World War, the anti-air capabilities of the Fletcher Class vessels were progressively strengthened. The superb 20mm Oerlikons and 40mm Bofors weapons replaced 1.1" guns and became the standard AA armaments. Most vessels were armed with 6-10 40mm Bofors and 7-10 20mm Oerlikons. Near the end of the war, Kamikazes had become such a problem the Fletchers were altered under the 4 April 1945 anti-kamikaze program. One of the torpedo mounts was removed for the addition of two additional 40mm mounts. In addition to these smaller AA weapons, the 5"/38 guns were also incredibly potent AA guns. Even today, many historians consider the 5"/38 to be the most successful dual purpose mount of the war. Using the Mark 37 FCS, the 5" gun was a capable weapon against air and surface targets. The gun was capable of 15 rounds per minute though well trained crews were able to reach 22 rounds per minute for short periods of time. Overall, the Fletcher Class became one of the most potent AA capable destroyers of World War II. Because of this, they made excellent escort ships for larger capital vessels. Service The Fletcher class destroyer arrived at the right time and the right place. It was was solid design introduced at the moment when the US shifted into rapid naval construction. As such, it became the prime destroyer design of the Navy. Later destroyer designs (Sumners and Gearing) were based on the Fletchers. during construction, 175 vessels of the Fletcher Class were built. Of those, 19 were lost and 6 were damaged beyond repair. A majority of the career of the Fletcher Class was involved in escort. They protected the carriers and battleships in the Pacific and escorted vital convoys across the Atlantic. They fought heavily in the Solomon Islands, one of the first surface actions for them. They also were involved in actions like The Battle of Surigao Strait. Here the USS Melvin torpedoed the Japanese battleship Fusō and broke her into two. The Fletcher Class was heavily involved in anti-submarine warfare. The Fletcher class is responsible for the sinking of 29 Japanese Submarines during the course of World War II. Overall, the Fletchers were involved in so much, that it would be nearly impossible to record it all here. List of Ships References Category:Ship Classes Category:US Ship Classes Category:Destroyer Classes Category:US Destroyer Classes Category:United States Navy Category:World War II Ship Classes